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EARLY SPRING GARDEN CHORES

For those restless gardeners who, like me, are checking their gardens daily for signs of life, grab your pruners and head outside, because it’s time to:

butterfly mag

Magnolia denudata (Butterfly Magnolia)

Cut back Liriope with the lawn mower or string trimmer.

Cut back to the ground any Lenten Rose  or Christmas Rose (Helleborus genus) leaves that are browning or leathery.

New growth and flowers should already be emerging.

H orientalis

Helleborus niger (Christmas Rose)

Prune to about 2 inches high all perennials not cut back in fall.

Exceptions: cut back Perovskia atriplicifolia (Russian Sage) to about 6 inches, cut back Salvia microphylla/greggii (very similar, often confused)  to about 4 inches.  These are both woody perennials.

cheekwood perennials

A perennial bed at Cheekwood Garden in Nashville

DO NOT cut back Tree Peonies!  They bloom on old growth.

Remove dead and discolored Stachys byzantina foliage (Lamb’s Ears).

Prune ornamental grasses all the way back.

Don’t prune before early March, since the winter color and movement are two of their best features.

Exception:  Try raking, rather than pruning, Muhly Grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris), for thicker new growth.

Lowline grasses

Ornamental grasses along the High Line in New York City

Prune dying leaves of evergreen ferns (many of the fronds still look great — I can’t usually bring myself to cut these just yet).

fern fiddlers

Dryopteris erythrosora (Autumn Fern) fiddlers emerge alongside Digitalis grandiflora (Foxglove)

 HYDRANGEAS

Prune Annabelle Hydrangeas (Hydrangea arborescens), if you did not do so in the fall. by cutting back all branches to 6-12 inches high.

Unlike the Mophead Hydrangeas, Annabelles bloom on new wood.

annabelle hyd

Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’

You can still prune the everblooming Hydrangeas, as they bloom on new and old wood (you will be cutting out some of the flowering buds that have set on the old wood).

You can also prune Hydrangea paniculata now (includes Pee Gee, Limelight, Tardiva cultivars).

LIMELIGHT:  If you want a full, bushy plant, cut back Limelights to about 2 or 3 feet every spring. Also prune all the little spindly branchlets.  If you are training your Limelight into a tree, then merely thin the weaker branches.

Limelight

Hydrangea paniculata ‘Limelight’

TARDIVA: Tardiva has a much nicer growth habit than Limelight and Pee Gee. It naturally grows into a tapering multi-branched small tree. To maintain the multi-branch form, just deadhead last year’s flower heads and any small spindly branches that detract from the form you are trying to attain.

tardiva

Hydrangea paniculata ‘Tardiva’

You may snap off last year’s flower heads of old-fashioned Mopheads, Lacecaps and Oak Leaf Hydrangeas, and you may cut out the oldest unproductive branches, but do not give these Hydrangeas an overall haircut right now.  They bloom on old wood.

Work aluminum sulphate into the soil in which blue Hydrangea are growing, to make the blooms bluer.  Add lime to make the blooms pinker.

OTHER SHRUBS AND TREES

Prune Buddleia davidii (Butterfly Bush) to about 2  feet and remove spindly and dead branches, if you want a full bushy plant.  If you want a  Butterfly Bush that resembles a small multi-trunk tree, only cut out straggly branches. Prune the dwarf Buddleias to about 2 feet wide and one foot tall.

Cut back Caryopteris x clandonensis (Bluebeard) to about 18 inches.

Caryopteris x clandonensis 'Longwood Blue'

Caryopteris x clandonensis ‘Longwood Blue’

Prune Callicarpa (Beautyberry) to about 6 inches.

Beautyberry

Callicarpa americana (American Beautyberry) growing wild at Jamestown

Prune Sasanqua Camellias (fall and early winter blooming Camellias) now, only if needed to shape or reduce size.

“Pinch” or hand prune Boxwood to thin and open up the plant.  This allows light and air inside so that the plant can produce leaves along the interior surfaces. This is especially important to protect the Boxwood from Boxwood Blight.  The Virginia Coopertative Extension Service, North Carolina State University and Saunders Brothers Nursery are good resources for keeping up with the latest on the blight.  If planting Boxwood, be sure to ask your landscaper or the nursery whether the Boxwood come from a nursery that adheres to the Boxwood Blight Cleanliness Program.

If your Poet’s Laurel (Danae racemosa) has not been pruned in a few years, cut it back to the ground.  Poet’s Laurel produces new growth from the earth, not from other branches.  You can continue to do the full cut back (the Frank Cut) every spring; you can do the Frank cut every 2 or 3 springs; or you can just cut out the oldest third of growth every spring.

DO NOT prune any spring-flowering shrubs or trees until after they bloom!  Exception:  Dead or diseased branches can always be removed.

Camellia

Camellia Japonica blooms in late winter or spring, depending on the cultivar. It should not be pruned until after it finishes blooming.

Prune Vitex agnus-castus (Chastetree) by cutting suckers back to the ground or back to the intersection with a larger branch.  Remove some large branches to provide a nice, open shape to the small tree/shrub.  You can also cut Vitex way back, if it has gotten out of control.

Vitex

Vitex agnus-castus (Chastetree)

DO NOT COMMIT CRAPE MAIMING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Topping Crape Myrtles does nothing except disfigure the tree.  Feel free to thin Crapes now, by cutting out weaker branches and sprouts.  See my earlier post for more information on proper Crapemyrtle pruning.

ROSES

Prune Shrub Roses to about 12 to 18 inches.  Make cuts about a quarter of an inch above an outward facing bud.  Also remove any branches with diameter less than a pencil, and any diseased or dead branches.

Prune Climbing Roses.  Cut out all dead and diseased canes, any crossing  or spindly  canes and some of the oldest (increasingly less productive) canes. Tie the branches to your support.

Climbing rose

‘White Dawn’ Climbing Rose

Begin feeding roses every six weeks throughout the growing season.  While I generally avoid fertilizing plants unless they are showing signs of deficiency, roses are an exception because they are gluttonous feeders.

 OTHER CHORES

Work compost into the soil to keep it healthy and provide a source of nutrition for the plants.

peony in bud

Paeonia lactifolia (Herbaceous Peony) in bud

Apply mulch ONLY if needed. When you do mulch, consider mulching with half or all compost or a layer of shredded leaves and another inch of finely ground mulch.  If the mulch applied earlier has not broken down, do not apply more.  Sometimes, overzealous mulching leads to an impenetrable mat that traps moisture, thus inviting disease.  Rake loose the existing mulch to allow air and rain through to the soil.  Also, be sure not to lay the new mulch too thick — especially in perennial beds.

PLEASE DO NOT volcano mulch around trees! Volcano mulch is the term used to describe mulch piled up in a big mound around a tree.  When mulch rests against a tree trunk, it traps moisture, softening the trunk and inviting pests and disease.  Over time, the tree will decline and die. Richmond Tree Stewards recommend the 3x3x3 rule:  no more than 3 inches of mulch, in a 3 foot wide circle, stopping 3 inches from the trunk.

H foetidus

Helleborus foetidus (Stinking Hellebore) emerging in late winter

The opening of the first buds, and the resurrection of plants that looked to be dead, fill the gardener with an enthusiasm that is as perennial as the season.”  Elizabeth Lawrence,  A Southern Garden

FLOWERS FOR THE OCTOBER GARDEN

 

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Yes, October means our Maples, Ginkgos, Black Gums and Sourwoods step out of the background and take center stage. But it’s not all about the foliage in October. Several plants are blooming their heads off this time of year.  Here are a few to consider adding to your garden  to extend the bloom season into fall.

Lespidesdra

 

In Peggy Valentine’s charming garden, Lespedeza thunbergii (also called Pink Bush Clover) spreads its pink wings, while Japanese Anemone (Anemone japonica) climbs through it.  In the foreground, Hardy Begonia and Sedum compete for attention.  The Begonia pictured was named for Peggy.  She allows plants such as the Lespedeza and Begonia to spread sparingly.  I’m envious of her ability to balance volunteers in both numbers and species to create a seemingly spontaneous yet dazzling plant palette.

Morning Glory

Honorine Jobert Anemone (Anemone japonica ‘Honorine Jobert’) is a great perennial to tuck in the back of most perennial borders.  It grows unobtrusively until late summer, when its stem shoots up to about 3 feet, producing single white flowers that bloom profusely until a hard frost.  Many gardeners find Morning Glories to be a pest, but I can’t help loving them. The Morning Glories in my yard have become good friends with my Anemones.

Cardinal flower and ageratumCardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis) and the perennial form of Blue Mistflower (Eupatorium coelistium) happily co-exist in the perennial bed.  Plant them with earlier flowering perennials such as Columbine (Aquilegia, spp.) and False Indigo (Baptisia australis). The Eupatorium and the Cardinal Flower are naturally found near stream banks and will grow in damp soils.

Blue Lobelia

Great Blue Lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica) is another native Lobelia found in the wild near stream banks.  This little guy popped up in the cracks of a garden path.

Ageratum and Lantana

The annual form of Eupatorium (Ageratum houstonianum) pairs nicely with other annuals, like this Lantana which blooms all summer.

Spider flower

Mary Glen Taylor’s lovingly tended four-season garden is full of fall-blooming flowers. Her Spider Flower (Cleome hassleriana) leads the way to the beautiful garden gate.  Cleome is a drought-tolerant self-seeding annual that grows in sun and part shade.  If you don’t want it to bloom next year, be sure to cut it back before it sheds its seeds.

Tufton asters

I didn’t catch the name of this Aster blooming at Monticello’s Tufton Farm, but it looks like the Michaelmas Daisy, or Monch Aster (Aster x frikartii ‘Monch’).  At Tufton Farm, the focus is on plants important to America’s horticultural heritage.  Thomas Jefferson was interested in learning about plants native to Virginia, native to other parts of the United States (many of which were  brought back by Lewis and Clark) and native to Europe.  Tufton propagates plants from all of these places, and supplies Monticello with many of the resulting plants.

Aster and zinnia

Melinda Hardy hijacked my camera to catch this bee hovering around the Asters and Zinnias in garden writer Marty Ross’s expansive Gloucester garden.

Globe amaranth

Globe Amaranth (Gomphrena globosa — sounds like a communicable disease!) is another late-blooming annual to give color to the fall garden. It grows 12-24 inches.  The actual flowers are insignificant — the bracts are the showy part of the plant.

Phlox

Mary Glen collected this Carolina Phlox (Phlox carolina) in Roaring Gap, North Carolina. Mary Glen says that it reseeds in this pale pink and in a hotter pink, and blooms all summer (and fall).

Passionflower

Collect the seeds of Purple Hyacinth Bean (Lablab purpurea) and plant next spring along a fence for gorgeous late summer and fall blooms.

Corydalis

Corydalis (Corydalis lutea) blooms all summer when happy.  It prefers rich, moist soil that never dries out.  It is a rampant weed in cool, damp climates, but stays under control in our hot and humid weather.

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My Capital Trees buddies and I came upon these Autumn Crocus (Colchicum autumnale) in Brent and Becky Heath’s garden (Brent and Becky’s Bulbs) in Gloucester. Plant these bulbs where perennials such as Bleeding Heart (Dicentra) go dormant in summer.

Dalias

This exuberant perennial bed in Brent and Becky’s garden is bursting with pink Dahlias. Growing Dahlias is a labor of love In Richmond, because the tubers should be dug up and stored each winter. You might get away with leaving Dahlia tubers in the ground over a mild winter in Zone 7, but you risk harming or killing them if we have a harsh winter (which some predict this year).

Camellia Hana Jiman

Sasanqua Camellias usually bloom for a good two months in fall.  This single-flowered Camellia is Hana Jiman.

Iceberg Roses

In Virginia, roses come alive again once the heat retreats. This Iceberg Rose makes a beautiful hedge.

Hydrangeas

Fading plant blooms give the fall garden a melancholy beauty. Peggy’s garden is filled with Hydrangeas that turn bronzy pink in fall.

Sedum

The Sedum’s dried flower heads look smashing against Mary Glen’s red brick wall.   Reddening Begonia leaves are in the background and the tiny pink blooms of the Jewels of Opar (Talinum paniculatum) are in the foreground.

Sourwood

The fading blossoms of the native Sourwood (Oxydendrum arboretum) are highlighted by the red fall folliage of the tree.

beauty berry

The pink berries of this native American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) growing in Marty Ross’s garden are just beginning to ripen.  Beautyberry attracts birds and is drought tolerant.  Plant it behind a low evergreen shrub or dwarf Butterfly Bush (Buddleia davidii). Cut it back generously in late winter or early spring to keep it from getting too gangly.

The air is crisp.  The earth is still warm. There’s no better time to dig in the garden.